


Give It Time

by Keeroo



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Assuming you let Nil live, Canon Compliant, F/M, Strangers to Lovers, maybe a little fluff, niloy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25289512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keeroo/pseuds/Keeroo
Summary: The strange journey of our beloved heroine and her outlander ally as they cleanse the land of bandits and discover each other along the way.
Relationships: Aloy/Nil (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Give It Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is my first project in the HZD universe, I'm so excited to share it with you! Quick warnings for a bit of gore and such, I go a little more in depth than the game does. Also there will be eventual smut, but this story is more focused on Nil and Aloy developing their bond so it's gonna be a bit. Enjoy!

The taut bowstring sang between her fingers, her arrow soaring across the cobbled together bandit camp to pierce the flesh of her foe. His eyes widened under his metal helmet as blood bloomed through the thin leather vest he wore, his body collapsing to rest in the dirt. One down, still so many to go.

“Aloy, down!”

She dropped to a crouch, her sunset hair flying as her new ally’s arrow sliced through the air she’d barely vacated in time. Her well-practiced eye tracked it as it curved down to strike another target, one mere feet away from her. Another instant and he would have stabbed her.

She cursed under her breath. Rost taught her better than that. She shouldn’t need help, not  _ ever.  _ Survival requires perfection. Speed, precision, quick reflexes and instincts honed by years of training; none of it mattered if she didn’t pay attention.

With a fierce growl she rose and slung her Carjan hunter bow over her shoulders, pulling her spear out to take its place. Smoke and blood stained the air, the sharpened stakes lining the desecrated camp like teeth in a Sawtooth’s jaw. A pot still hung over the flames of the fire pit, a meal long forgotten in the wake of their attack. Supply crates and piles of Nora detritus cluttered the area, all that remained of her unfortunate brethren. She would not share their fate.

A tap of her Focus revealed the coming storm, seven glowing figures on their way to retaliate from the next cluster of haphazard huts. Another group of four waited uphill, likely the leader and his most trusted lieutenants. 

And there, to the right - the two Nora prisoners Nil mentioned earlier. Her people, tied up and caged like livestock. For what purpose, she probably didn’t want to know. Normally she would’ve walked right by, it’s not like it was her problem, but Nil’s strange invitation had piqued her insatiable curiosity. 

_ “Strange phrase, the pain of death. See? This one’s in no pain at all.” _

She shook her head; now wasn’t the time for idle pondering. Her gaze swept the clearing again, taking stock. The mysterious outlander stood a few yards away, tugging his blade free from his latest kill with a sickening squelch and a glimmer of joy in his eyes. Bodies littered the ground, most no longer glowing with life, but a few still groaning their last. The group of seven was the most pressing threat. She taped her Focus off and turned to face Nil.

“Here they come, get ready!” she cried, tightening her hold on her treasured spear.

Nil’s eyes darkened as he strode over to join her, a feral grin splitting his face. “Let them.”

It set her teeth on edge to see how much he reveled in death, but she had more important things to concentrate on. She prowled to the bottom of the hill, her body low to the ground as she positioned herself in a low-lying bush. An old trick, but an effective one. Another tap of her Focus; three, two....

_ NOW! _

She spun on her heel, rising to thrust the tip of her blade deep into a bandit’s chest. The momentum of her body let her pull it free a beat later to swing at the next, slicing through flesh and sinew. Nil’s arrows whistled overhead, dropping another pair before they could fight back. Four down, three more.

They had the wisdom to attack from behind cover, only standing tall when they had an arrow ready to shoot. With only the three of them, firing chaotically at both her and Nil, it was childishly easy to avoid getting hit. She dashed closer, her feet stirring the dusty ground as she released a growl. Today was not her day to die - it was  _ theirs. _

Aloy struck like lightning, spraying crimson with each slice of her blade. The bandits didn’t stand a chance.

“We have to keep moving,” she murmured as the seventh man breathed his last. She leaned over the fresh corpse and salvaged the last few arrows in his quiver. He didn’t need them anymore, but she might. No point leaving behind resources.

Nil took the lead as they approached the peak, carefully darting from bush to bush. The closer they could get before striking, the better. Less chance the leader would have time to use his Deathbringer gun, or that the imprisoned Nora would get caught in the crossfire. 

She drew her sharpshot bow and nocked three arrows, her eyes locked on the closest bandit. Metal spikes adorned his body, strips of cloth woven between them. He was young, far too young to be caught up in this. Maybe she could disable him without killing him? Give him a chance to choose a better life?

She took aim at his foot and pulled her bowstring back. It was a risk, but-

“Voice of Our Teeth!” Nil cried, loosing an arrow to sink deep into the young bandit's throat. The other three turned to face him and brought their weapons to bear. 

“Crap,” Aloy muttered. So much for second chances. Probably would’ve wasted it, anyway.

The Carjan ex-soldier laughed as he dodged arrows, his dagger drawn and ready. He didn’t need any help, but there were those who did. She turned away and snuck closer to the cages, steps nearly silent after years of practice. Two faces she didn’t know, painted with stripes of blue. Her people, supposedly. 

“Hold on, I’m going to get you out of here,” she said, nimble fingers dancing over the knotted cloth holding them in place. The first prisoner barely managed to thank her before he disappeared into the shadows, fleeing for his life.

The second, on the other hand…

“Don’t think this changes anything, Outcast. You’ll never be one of us.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just get going.”

The sneering Nora shot her one last glare, his palm holding his side as he withdrew. They must have beaten him, not that it made her any more forgiving of his poor attitude. 

An thunderous crack forced her attention back to the fight as the last man standing, the leader of the bandits, spewed death from his massive gun. She dove aside, rolling behind a wooden hut even as she strung her bow. She’d have to aim quickly, or risk getting hit. Her Focus showed the bandit stepping closer, closer, _ just a little more... _

Her heart hammered against her ribs as she took a deep breath and stepped out from her hiding place. Deathbringer bullets sprayed inches away from her and she lept, springing as far as she could as she delivered her shot. Three arrows, each one lethal enough to slay a lesser man.

She crashed to the ground as two missed, soaring at least a foot to her foe’s left. The third pierced his shoulder, nowhere near a kill shot. Prone on the ground, she somersaulted closer to the nearest ramshackle structure just as the next hail of bullets rained down. How could she have  _ missed? _

“Taste my blade!”

Nil’s battle cry heralded a powerful blow as he dashed to the bandit and sank his dagger between the man’s ribs. Once, twice, again and again, each stab amplifying the crazed glee lighting his dark eyes. The man’s hands went slack, dropping his weapon as he belatedly tried to block, but the damage was done. Within seconds, only a corpse remained, innards oozing the stink of partially digested food. The stench of death would follow, she knew.

Nil chuckled and cleaned his blade on his arm. Piss and blood tainted the air, and a quiet stillness only heard after a battle descended on the ruined camp. The young huntress relaxed her body, the tension drifting away as the rush of danger faded. Her breathing slowed as she sat up, brushing dust from her shoulders as she scanned the nearby huts for salvageable resources. Surely there was  _ something  _ useful lying around.

Her companion joined her and extended his hand to help her up, smirking. His dark eyes were pools of oblivion, flecks of blood dappling his face and chest. Was any of it his own?

“Thanks,” Aloy said, glancing away. She tried to drop his hand but his grip was iron.

“Such deadly hands… I’d hate to see them harmed,” he replied, bringing her fingers to his lips. She shivered as his breath caressed her skin.

“R- right.”

He released her and sighed, turning his face toward the sun. “A shame there weren’t more of them. This was quite a pleasure, but far too short.”

She scoffed. “It was long enough for my tastes.”

Nil winked and adjusted his quiver. “Give it time.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for checking out my work, leaving a kudos or sharing your thoughts with me! I'm pretty new to this fandom, but am looking forward to meeting some new awesome folks through our shared love of HZD. 
> 
> If you came strictly for HZD content, be warned that everything else I've posted here is from Devil May Cry (and a Star Wars one shot). If you're into that, have fun ~~
> 
> Next Chapter - Aloy and Nil run into each other again on the road. Next chapter will be much longer than this one :3


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